Uzbekistan , Kazakhstan re-launch bus route

After a 20-year break, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are again connected via a bus route.

The first pilot bus service between the two countries on the Tashkent-Shymkent intercity route was launched on Jan.5.

The total length of the route was 145 kilometers, travel time - about three hours. Passengers will cross the Gisht Kuprik checkpoint (Uzbekistan) / Zhibek Zholy (Kazakhstan).

Earlier, the Uzbek Agency of Road and River Transport stated that regular routes will be carried out daily from 6:00 to 20:00 with a frequency of one hour.

Reportedly, the return ticket costs 160,000 soums.

It is expected that the bus service will connect the major cities of Kazakhstan with the tourist centers of Uzbekistan, primarily Samarkand and Bukhara.

In 2017, the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan increased by 30 percent and amounted to about $2 billion.

In March 2017, an agreement was signed between the two countries on interregional cooperation and the Strategy for Economic Cooperation for 2017-2019.

In September last year, several important agreements were signed in various fields. These include, in particular, road maps for road and water relations between the two countries, an agreement on cooperation in the energy sector and other documents.